Topic: Best way to fix ashy/greenPosted By: AggiePam
Subject: Best way to fix ashy/green
Date Posted: March 08 2008 at 4:13pm

Hello,

I'm hoping someone can verify my thoughts on fixing my green hair.Last summer, I got great blonde highlights on my medium brown hair. I just went last week to have my roots done. Well, turns out she did my whole head, rather than just my roots. And it was not only too blonde for my skin tone, but also greenish/ashy, which I've never seen before on me. So I went back today & she put a darker tone on it. The lighting is terrible in the salon, so I didn't notice until later that it is darker, but it's still greenish. So, I went to Sally's, determined to fix it myself at this point. The lady told me to do a golden brown over it to counteract the ash.Before I do another thing, I wanted to check with you all. Will a golden brown get rid of the ashy green tint? At this point, I no longer care about the highlights (although I wasted a huge amount of money!), I just want my normal brown back. (with no green highlights!)What do you think?

Replies: Posted By: Rebekah
Date Posted: March 08 2008 at 4:53pm

1. "I just want my normal brown back" Try Colorfixing it all. Then pull out the highlights, do a tint back on those, add the red back, etc. Then choose a shade that's not an ash, but has a bit of warmth in it and do the entire head.

2. Strand test the color you are thinking of using to see how it looks. If you like it then do the whole head...should be a semi or a demi by the way.

3. Often when you first get your hair done, the ash appears greenish, if you wait a few washings the color usually fades to something you like. I know what you are seeing though, but I do think it will fade.

I hope this helps...if it were me, I'd wait for the color to fade before doing anything else to my hair.

Hi Pam,I second the use of Color Fix or Color Oops. This will allow you to still see the highlights your hairdresser put in. I know you say you want your brown back but you might change your mind if the highlights looked blonde instead of green! I am assuming the rest of your hair has not been dyed brown as if it has, color remover will take that pigment out as well.

The following advice is for if you want to try and salvage the highlights:

Once you get the green tones out with the color remover, you can try a demi-permanent in a light gold based blonde shade (choose a shade lighter and golder than you think your want). This won't lighten the rest of your brown hair but will tone your highlights and should not turn them green!

Posted By: AggiePam
Date Posted: March 08 2008 at 5:35pm

Thanks guys!Well, I guess I'm worried about trying to get the green because even before today when she re-toned it, it was already ashy. The highlights didn't look good even then. And there are too many highlights, she did way more than just my roots. This is why I think that I just want to go back to all over brown. So, I'm doing a strand test with the golden brown to see what it'll look like. I think this is another one of those lessons about communication. I thought since we were just doing my roots, I didn't need to explain to my stylist what I wanted. But I think you always need to explain & bring pictures!! They aren't mind-readers!

Should the golden be okay over the ash or should I remove the ash with the Color Fix and then color it with golden brown?

Do a strand test to know for sure. If you need to use a color remover, choose a lighter golden shade like dark golden blond to get light golden brown.

Posted By: AggiePam
Date Posted: March 10 2008 at 1:04pm

Thanks for your help.I used the golden brown & it is much better. But you can still see the green/ashy color through some of it. Will that ash fade?Has anyone had this before?

Posted By: Rebekah
Date Posted: March 10 2008 at 3:54pm

I used a high-lift tint on my hair a few summers back for a few months of touch ups. My hair was pretty, but too orangey in the back for me. Also, too light in the front, so I went back to using a medium ash blonde. The first few touch ups my hair looked yucky like the color you describe, but after awhile of using the same color it looked much better. Try using the warmer color for touchups in the future if you like it. Hope this helps.

I would remove the bad color with a color remover personally. Then tone with a lighter golden blonde demi. Coloring over green hair helps but is only a camouflage, not ideal.

Posted By: AggiePam
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 9:41pm

Okay, if I use a color remover now - after doing the brown, will it remove the brown & the ash toner underneath. That's really 2 layers of color. Does anyone know if Color Oops is strong enough to do that?

Posted By: PerfectBrunette
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 10:25pm

Yes, it should be. Both processes were done recently. It may not remove all the color in one try. It may be necessary to do a reapplication but I doubt it. You have to really follow the instructions to the tee and rinse for a full ten minutes with very warm water. You will need a demipermanent toner afterwards though and you'll have to be careful about shade selection as it will make your hair more porous and likely to go darker than the color you expect. Also, its recommended to use golden tones.

I've been meaning to give thanks for everyone's help & let you know how it turned out. I used Color Oops on my hair. I got rid of all the green, then I used a light golden brown on it. It turned out medium to dark brown, which is what I wanted. It's been a few weeks and it is getting a little lighter. Plus, the highlights are slowly coming back in a nice, subtle way.

If I would've found the Color Oops sooner, I could've skipped a step or two, but at least now I know for next time!

Yay, I'm normal brown again.

Posted By: PerfectBrunette
Date Posted: April 03 2008 at 12:14pm

Yay! Great to hear! I'm glad you were able to rinse the green dye from your hair.